Entering a Customer Letter - Header Card
Use this card in combination with the
'Text' card to determine the text of the letter. The Header, Greetings, Sign and Signature fields can all be printed separately on the letter, perhaps with different font styling, and will contain appropriate information. You can use 'Paste Special' from the Sign field to obtain a list of personnel.
Document
Paste Special Form register, System module
As is usual in Hansa, you can print of letters from a Customer Letter record either using the 'Documents' function or by clicking the Printer icon. However, the selection of the Form used (i.e. the letter template) is determined in a slightly different manner to that used by other documents in Hansa.
The most basic method of selecting the Form to be used is to do so using this field: simply enter the Form Code here.
However, it may be easier to use a single Form in most circumstances and to override that default only on special occasions. To do this, follow these steps:
- Design a standard letter using the Form register in the System module. The general principles of Form design are described here, with details specific to letter design and an example here. Use the 'Properties' function on the Operations menu of the Form editor to assign the letter a suitable Form Code such as "LETTER". The Document Type should be "Customer Letters".
- Change to the CRM module and open the 'Documents' list window using the 'Documents' item on the File menu or by clicking the [Documents] button in the Master Control panel.
- Highlight 'Customer Letter' in the list and select 'Define Document' from the Operations menu. In the subsequent window, enter the Form Code ("LETTER", in our example) in the Form field on the first row. As is usual, you can use the 'Define Document' window to determine that a different Form is to be used according to the Language or Number Series of the Customer Letter or the Access Group of the user.
- Once you have done this, the "LETTER" Form (or other Form from the 'Define Document' window chosen on the basis of Language, Number Series or Access Group) will be used if the Document field on the 'Header' card of the Customer Letter record is blank. If you wish to use a different Form for a particular Customer Letter, specify that using the Document field.
The Form specified in this field will be used instead of that specified in the 'Define Document' window.
Reply To (Email)
If the Customer Letter is to be sent by email using the 'Send Email' Operations menu function, specify here the return address (sender's address) that is to be used. If this field is empty, the return address will be taken from the Person record quoted in the Sign field or, if that is blank, from the E-Mail SMTP Server setting.
Language
Paste Special Languages setting, System module
When letters from a Customer Letter record are printed, the selection of the Form used (i.e. the letter template) is determined using one of two methods. You can enter a Form in the Document field above or, if the Document field is empty, you can use the 'Define Document' window for the Customer Letter document. The second method allows letters to be printed using different Forms depending on the Language of the Customer Letter. Specify that Language here.
If you are using the second method (i.e. if the Document field above is empty), you can override the Language specified here when you print letters from the 'Documents' list window. This can be useful if, for example, you have a standard letter that is sometimes printed and sometimes faxed. In this case, enter separate rows in the 'Define Document' window for printing and faxing. The fax row should have a dedicated Language (e.g. "FAX") in the Lang field. When you create the Customer Letter, enter the appropriate Language on the 'Header' card to use the default printer (usually the Language can be left blank in both the Customer Letter and the 'Define Document' window). When you need to fax the letter, open the 'Specify Customer Letter' window from the 'Documents' list in the normal way, and enter the Language for the fax server. This will override the Language in the Customer Letter record.
Std. Text
Paste Special Standard Text register, CRM module
If appropriate, use this field to select a Standard Text record. The text itself will appear in the field on the 'Text' card.
OK
You should check the OK check box to approve the Customer Letter record. Until you do this and save the record, any letters that you print from the record will be marked as a "Test Printout" (providing you are not using the No Test Printout option in the Optional Features setting in the System module). After approving and saving a Customer Letter, you will no longer be able to modify the record, although if modifications subsequently become necessary you can remove the check from the OK box.
Two reasons for checking and approving a Customer Letter prior to approving it and preventing further modification are to ensure the list of recipients is correct and to check the letter text contains no errors. You can accomplish both these tasks quickly and easily using the 'Letter List' function on the Operations menu.
References on these web pages to approved Customer Letters are to Customer Letters whose OK box has been checked.
Introduction to the Customer Letter Register
